New from Art Club: Still Waters, big, fluffy, sturdy Romney batts, hand dyed and drum carded to fluffy goodness. Named for the crazy brilliant algae thriving in my fishless water tank this summer. (Oh, look! NaBloPoMo green theme, met.)
So I’m a little concerned about Jayne’s recent weirdness. Our new resident artist, Liz, has small ruminant experience, so she’s going to help me look him over for anything unusual tomorrow.
The last two evenings, Jayne’s been munching on grass lying down while everyone else is grazing in the normal fashion. He doesn’t seem to be having trouble rising or reclining, he’s not limping, and he doesn’t seem reluctant to get up and move if I disturb him, and his appetite is just fine–he’s eagerly eating while he reclines, like a spoiled starlet eating bonbons on her chaise. But it’s weird.
Yesterday, I though he was just chilling and chewing his cud, but today I noticed him chomping grass as enthusiastically as everyone else. Both days, it occurred in the late afternoon/early evening, when the heat was starting to subside. I thought maybe it was a languid reaction to the heat. I mean, I just want to loll around and eat Popsicles when its like this.
I felt up his legs, which seemed normal (I also felt up Uncle Honeybunch and Agnes for reference). His poop’s normal. He’s bleating about the same amount in the morning and at feeding time. He’s always been one to chill out and rest more than everyone else. Even as a lamb, he was always way lazier than the other lambs, but he’s kind of bigger and more lumbering. Liz suggested we check his feet and see if they’re hot. I scoped his feet when everyone was laying around earlier today, and the ones that were exposed (not under his body) looked normal, but I didn’t touch them.
He also seems to have grown a lot this summer, and I’m wondering if sheep get growing pains the way human kids do?
Anyway, I hope he’s just feeling lazy from the heat. I scored them for FAMACHA about a week ago and they were all good.